


Home

by sadietheauthor



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, boys being adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-09
Updated: 2014-06-09
Packaged: 2018-02-04 01:03:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1761341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sadietheauthor/pseuds/sadietheauthor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Home, for Haru, was never any building; it was always the water.  But whose to say that a person can't be home too?<br/>(Now with the sequel 'interloper')</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home

**Author's Note:**

> Tiny little one-shot of dorks being adorable and such. Was going to be longer but it seemed finished where it was, so i decided to post it.

Haru had never really found that a building could be like home. For him, it was always the water. The water in the tub, in the ocean, in the pool, it didn't matter to him as long as he could be in it. He’d always felt that this sense of homecoming was, for him, perfect and complete. It welcomed him into its embrace, and he let it take him where it wanted to go, to use his arms and legs, to let himself lose the control he kept whilst on land.

But then he discovered a new type of home, when he and Makoto had held hands during their second year of high school.

It wasn't, at first, romantic. They were studying together after a long day, and Haru had been upset. Something about a malfunction in the bell system that had made a high-pitched squeal for the better half of the day. Makoto had taken Haru’s hand, resting them on top of the study table, in a gesture of comfort.

They had held hands as children, and Haru had thought nothing of it then, and even when they were older and did so, usually, as this time, when one of them was upset. But this time, something was different for them both. Haru felt, as Makoto’s hand touched his, that deep feeling of contentment and home that he felt when he jumped into the water.

The two of them had never truly needed words before, but at that moment Haru wanted to speak up, to ask Makoto if he felt it. Then their eyes met, a shy grin gracing Makoto’s face, and the smallest of tugs at the corner of Haru’s mouth, and he realized he didn't need to. A perfect understanding crossed between them, and Makoto gripped tighter on Haru’s slightly smaller hand, before going back to the relaxed hold he’d been holding it in.

The next time they felt it, they’d been watching a movie at Makoto’s house, the twins asleep in a pile on the couch, covered in blankets, while Makoto and Haru watched from the floor, backs resting against the foot of said couch. Makoto, falling asleep, had let his head fall onto Haru’s shoulder. Haru held Makoto’s hand again, resting his chin on the top of his friend’s head, light brown strands that smelled soft and clean.

Seemingly without prompting from his brain, Haru kissed Makoto’s forehead, neutral expression not leaving his face. Makoto smiled, his usual gentle grin tinged by sleepiness, and that’s when that feeling, of home, hit them again, as strong as it had the day in Haru’s living room. 

Makoto’s eyed had shot open, and he’d sat up, taking Haru’s hand with an awed look gracing his face.

“Haru,” was all he said, his gentle and kind smile again sliding onto his face. Haru’s own face grew red and hot, though his own mouth was trying to twist into a small smile.

They sat there like that for several minutes, long enough for the movie to end and the credits to start rolling. The music was louder than the movie, waking up Ran and Ren, who mumbled ‘Mako-nii…” sleepily in unison.

Makoto let go of Haru’s hand and gaze, smiling kindly with an “Alright, alright, let’s get you two to bed…”

He took his two siblings by the hand and led them out, to their room, and helped them get ready for bed, though Ran, yawning widely, tried to tell him that she wasn’t sleepy at all and she wanted to keep watching movies with them. Makoto just made sure she brushed her teeth and got in bed. (Ren had done so without prompting, and grinned smugly at Ran when Makoto praised him lightly for it. Makoto had shaken his head in amusement, pointing out that Ran had put the cap back on the toothpaste.)

Haru watched from the doorframe, waving when the twins trilled out “Night Haruka-nii!” two seconds before they passed out.

“Hey, Haru,” Makoto was saying, after they’d gone back into his room, “When we were watching the movie, and I was falling asleep…” He trailed off.

Haru prompted him to continue speaking with a tiny movement of his head.  
“You felt that too, right? That sense of…” Makoto gestured with his hands, trying to find the proper words to use. “Well, like coming home. It felt like when I get back from swim practice, and mom and dad already have dinner ready, and they’re all just sitting there waiting for me to get home so we can all eat dinner together.”

“It feels like swimming,” Haru told him. Makoto was utterly unsurprised by the comparison, he knew Haru too well for that. He just smiled, knowing that Haru understood exactly what he was talking about, and vise versa.

They sat for a long time leaned against each other, hands held, Makoto chattering idly about some topic that Haru didn’t really care about, but was listening because it was Makoto talking, and there wasn’t a body of water around to take precedence. (His mental list was water > Makoto >Rin Nagisa and Rei >everyone else)

Then Haru got an idea in his head, a thought that wouldn’t leave him alone, and as he considered it, he thought maybe that he should use his words for another moment.

“Hey, Makoto?” he asked.

Makoto looked up, stopping his chit-chat mid-stream. He smiled at Haru, inclining his head to indicate the other could go on.

“Can I kiss you?”

Makoto’s eyes widened in surprise for a fraction of a second, but the wide smile crinkled the edges of them and replaced shock with happiness, and he nodded swiftly.

Haru leaned forward, and their lips met softly. There were no fireworks, no loud bell in their heads, but the sense of warm welcoming was there. It only grows, buzzes in the back of their minds as Makoto runs his hand along Haru’s jaw to cup his cheek, and they push closer, innocent and loving.

For a moment Haru freezes; what is he doing? Why is he kissing his best friend? For just a second he’s afraid that it will collapse around him, that Makoto is swept in the moment and won’t want this when the moment is over.

But the hand resting on his cheek is so soft and gentle, and he can feel the sweetness of Makoto’s lips, and he turns off the part of his brain whispering darkly, kisses his closest friend with the passion of lovers meeting after a long time apart.

And Makoto is the same, lips conveying the love he is feeling, the sense that they cannot be moved apart from each other.

“Thank you,” Makoto says quietly, after they part. His face is buried in the crook of Haru’s neck, and he was running his hands over Haru’s shoulders, smoothing down his shirt, which had gotten a little ruffled in the kiss.

Haru almost asks ‘for what’, but he knows. He’s thankful for it too, for the love he can’t say but he can show. He’s cared for, loved in return, and he’s so, so glad that Makoto is there to welcome him home.


End file.
